This invention relates to a catheter retainer.
Catheter retainers are well known. For example, one form of catheter retainer is shown in European Patent No. 37918, and another example is shown in British Patent Application No. 2 199 499. Another method of retaining a catheter on the body of a patient is shown in British published patent application number 2 211 417. Many other designs are known. However, none of the catheter retainers presently commercially available are entirely satisfactory. Surgeons therefore still quite frequently stitch a catheter to the skin of the wearer. This is frequently done when it is desired to drain a wound and yet hold the wound largely closed. This procedure of course involves a risk of infection and may be painful for the patient.
Prior art catheter retainers are unsatisfactory for a number of reasons. Firstly the retainer may be size dependent. In other words, for catheters of different diameter, a different catheter retainer device may be required. Another disadvantage is that known catheter retainers are often hard and rigid, and therefore uncomfortable to wear. Wearing them may promote lesions or maceration of the skin and so give rise to problems other than that for which the patient is in hospital. Another disadvantage of known catheter retainers is that they are hard to clean. Also, when used with catheters which are of a silicone rubber, a material commonly used for catheters, the catheter tubes are hard to lock in position relative to the retainer because of the slipperiness of the tube. As a result, patients can inadvertently pull catheters out. Yet another disadvantage of known catheter retainers is that the clamping pressure which most of them need to apply tends to collapse the catheter or the drainage tube. In consequence, the efficiency of drainage is adversely affected.
It would be desirable if there existed a catheter retainer which overcomes or at least greatly mitigates these disadvantages.